►
From YouTube: Speech from the Throne - Feb 8 2022
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
A
A
British
columbians
have
endured
a
year,
unlike
any
other,
from
rebuilding
after
the
fires
and
floods
to
getting
through
this
difficult
wave
of
the
global
pandemic
to
building
the
strongest
economy
in
canada.
We
have
shown
we
can
accomplish
anything
by
working
together,
though
we
have
much
work
to
do
brighter
days
are
ahead.
A
This
year
we
celebrate
her
majesty
queen
elizabeth
ii's
platinum
jubilee
for
70
years.
Her
majesty
has
served
canada
and
the
commonwealth
with
steadfast
purpose,
dignity,
wisdom
and
grace.
Queen
elizabeth
ii
holds
a
special
place
in
the
hearts
of
many.
She
has
been
present
for
many
important
moments
in
our
province's
history,
including
bc's
centennial
celebration
in
1971,
the
groundbreaking
of
canada
place
in
1983,
the
commonwealth's
games
in
victoria
in
1994,
and
her
most
recent
visit
in
celebration
of
the
golden
jubilee
in
2002..
A
We
are
grateful
to
her
majesty
for
her
lifetime
of
service
and
the
platinum
jubilee
is
an
opportunity
to
honor
her
commitment
and
dedication
as
queen
of
canada,
as
has
become
our
tradition.
We
open
the
third
session
of
the
42nd
parliament
by
remembering
some
of
the
prominent
british
colombians
we
have
lost
over
the
last
year.
A
We
mourn
labour
activist,
soren,
beck
landscape,
architect,
cornelia
oberlander
wildlife,
conservationist,
ray
demarky
environmentalist
norm,
fletcher
north
shore,
rescue
co-founder
carl
winter.
United.
We
can
co-founder
ken
leote
and
cherry
kingsley
an
advocate
for
sexually
exploited
youth.
We
mourn
sports
figures,
including
baseball's,
amanda,
assay
olympic
champion
rower,
donald,
arnold
and
sports
writer.
Kent
gilchrist.
A
We
also
mourn
local
leaders,
like
former
mayors,
philip
owen
of
vancouver,
graham
roberts
of
nanaimo
and
michael
coleman
of
duncan.
We
mourn
many
in
arts
and
culture
among
them.
Theater's
norman
young
writer,
lee
miracle,
jazz,
guitarist,
jim
kilburn
violinist,
jean
lamont,
the
artist
joe
manning
and
johnson's
asu
singh
chao
and
the
poet
phyllis
webb.
A
A
We
were
horrified
and
heartbroken
to
learn
that
215
children
were
buried
in
unmarked
graves
on
the
grounds
of
the
former
kamloops
residential
school.
Soon
after
we
learned
of
other
mass
grave
sites,
including
182
in
cranbrook
and
160
on
penalty
island,
most
recently
preliminary
findings
of
another
93
potential
burial
sites.
A
This
is
a
step
towards
reconciliation.
It
is
a
core
principle
that
will
continue
to
guide
every
decision.
Your
government
takes
this
session.
Your
government
will
build
on
the
historic,
unanimous
passage
of
the
declaration
on
the
rights
of
indigenous
peoples
act
in
this
legislature
working
to
implement
an
action
plan
drafted
in
collaboration
with
indigenous
peoples.
A
A
Extreme
weather
events
claimed
lives
and
devastated
communities,
and
just
when
life
was
was
starting
to
return
to
some
sense
of
normalcy,
a
new
and
highly
contagious
variant
of
19
began
to
spread
at
a
time
when
these
same
challenges
have
increased
polarization
and
division
around
the
world.
People
here
in
bc
have
pulled
together.
A
A
A
We
are
all
aware
of
our
natural
beauty
and
abundant
resources,
but
bc's
greatest
strength
is
our
people.
From
the
moment
your
government
was
first
elected.
The
focus
has
been
on
investing
in
people
who
make
our
province
strong.
It
improves
public
services
and
work
to
bring
down
the
cost
of
living
when
a
global
pandemic
hit.
It
responded
with
bold
action
to
support
british
columbians.
A
It
acted
quickly
to
help
keep
people
working,
protect
those
who
lost
their
jobs
and
provide
a
lifeline
to
small
businesses
from
tourism
operators
to
corner
store
owners
to
taxi
drivers
and
when
wildfires
and
flooding
devastated
communities.
Your
government
was
guided
by
the
same
values
providing
help
to
people
on
the
ground
who
needed
it.
The
most
putting
people
first
has
helped
us
build
the
strongest
economic
recovery
in
the
country.
A
A
While
your
government
has
laid
the
foundation
to
help
us
come
out
of
these
challenging
times
stronger
and
more
resilient,
yet
more
needs
to
be
done.
Many
families
are
feeling
squeezed
and
worried
about
rising
inflation,
businesses
and
communities
need
help
to
recover
and
rebuild
people
are
exhausted
and
concerned
about
what
the
future
has
in
store.
A
Your
government
will
be
there
for
you
every
step
of
the
way,
as
it
has
been
from
day
one
over
the
coming
year.
It
will
take
concrete
actions
to
support
people
to
make
life
more
affordable
and
build
on
economic
recovery,
where
no
one
is
left
behind
in
the
months
ahead.
Your
government's
top
priority
will
continue
to
be
keeping
people
healthy
and
safe
through
the
rest
of
the
pandemic.
A
A
A
Vaccines
remain
our
best
weapon
in
the
fight
against
the
virus.
Vaccinated
people
are
many
times
less
likely
to
end
up
in
intensive
care
units
in
the
hospital
or
pass
away
from
coven
19
than
unvaccinated
people.
That's
why
your
government
will
continue
taking
the
next
steps
in
the
largest
immunization
rollout
in
our
province's
history.
A
A
For
too
long
many
british
colombians
had
to
choose
between
going
to
work,
sick
or
losing
wages,
not
anymore.
Your
government
made
changes
to
ensure
workers
in
bc
have
access
to
a
minimum
of
five
paid
sick
days
every
year,
the
most
of
any
province
in
canada
in
the
year
ahead.
Additional
actions
will
be
taken
to
make
workplaces
in
bc
the
safest
in
the
country.
A
A
While
there
are
still
too
many
people
in
bc
who
need
a
family
doctor
and
our
health
care
system
has
been
strained
by
the
pandemic,
important
progress
is
being
made.
New,
urgent
and
primary
care.
Centers
are
making
it
easier
for
people
to
see
a
doctor
or
other
health
care
professional
when
they
need
to
hospitals,
are
being
built,
modernized
and
expanded
throughout
bc.
A
Thousands
of
healthcare
workers
have
been
hired
over
the
past
two
years,
six
thousand
of
them
to
care
for
seniors
in
long-term
care
homes
or
assisted
living,
and
we
are
performing
more
surgeries
and
diagnostic
tests
by
optimizing
space
and
investing
in
more
mri
scanners
where
they
are
needed.
The
most
the
pandemic
has
shown
us
just
how
important
health
care
is
to
people.
A
A
A
A
A
Schools
provide
important
support
for
the
most
vulnerable
kids
like
meal
programs,
and
they
act
as
a
community
as
community
hubs,
especially
in
times
of
crisis.
That's
why
british
columbia
was
one
of
the
first
jurisdictions
in
the
country
to
reopen
schools
and
one
of
the
few
to
keep
them
open
throughout
the
pandemic.
A
New
investments,
strong
health
guidelines
and
high
vaccination
rates
mean
bc.
Schools
are
safe
and
supported
places
for
school
staff
and
students.
Ensuring
kids
get
the
best
possible
start
in
life
has
been
a
priority
since
the
beginning.
Over
the
last
four
years,
record,
funding
for
education
has
helped
bc.
Schools
hire
thousands
of
new
teachers
and
education
assistants.
A
In
september,
thousands
of
students
returned
to
safer
and
modernized
classrooms
at
16,
new
or
improved
schools
throughout
the
province
that
included
langley's
donna,
gabriel
robbins
elementary
named
after
a
member
of
the
quantland
first
nation
who
dedicated
her
career
to
education
in
the
district.
The
school
also
includes
100
new
child
care
spaces.
A
These
investments
in
schools
and
teachers
will
continue
to
increase
as
enrollment
grows,
while
public
services
are
being
strengthened.
Your
government
is
also
making
them
more
inclusive.
It
is
working
to
remove
barriers
for
people
living
with
disabilities
and
to
provide
better
care
earlier
for
more
children
with
support
needs.
A
It
has
ensured
gender
designation
on
provincial
id
cards
for
two
spirit,
transgender
and
gender,
diverse
people.
They
can
now
be
changed,
which
can
now
be
changed
without
doctor
verification
and
your
government
will
introduce
new
anti-racism
data
legislation,
this
session,
helping
to
pave
the
way
to
a
fairer
and
better
delivery
of
services.
A
While
our
work
to
make
bc
more
inclusive
is
rooted
in
building
a
stronger
future
for
everyone,
we
must
recognize
our
shared
history.
In
the
days
ahead.
Your
government
will
take
a
major
step
towards
establishing
the
first
chinese
canadian
museum
in
canada.
It
will
be
a
beacon
of
light
in
vancouver's
chinatown.
A
In
addition
to
strengthening
public
services,
your
government
has
also
made
choices
that
help
make
things
a
little
easier
for
people
in
their
everyday
lives.
Instead
of
giving
tax
cuts
to
the
wealthiest,
it
gave
middle-class
families
the
largest
break
in
a
generation
by
ending
expensive
medical
premiums.
A
A
A
A
people
living
on
low
incomes
will
continue
to
benefit
from
the
first
ever
increase
to
the
senior
supplement
and
the
largest
ever
increase
to
social
assistance
and
the
lowest
wage
workers
will
benefit
from
a
minimum
wage
that
has
gone
from
one
of
the
lowest
in
the
country
to
the
highest
among
provinces
at
15
20
an
hour
in
the
months
ahead.
Your
government
will
take
action
to
time
minimum
wage
increases
to
the
rate
of
inflation,
so
bc
workers
do
not
get
left
behind
the
pandemic
channel
light
on
how
important
reliable,
affordable
child
care
is.
A
A
Your
government
has
been
working
hard
to
change
that
families
are
already
benefiting
from
the
thousands
of
new
spaces
and
saving
up
to
19
000
a
year
in
lower
fees.
Your
government
will
build
on
the
progress
made
by
more
than
doubling
10
a
day
spaces
and
reducing
average
fees
by
as
much
as
50
percent.
A
As
part
of
that
work,
your
government
will
move
responsibly,
sorry
responsibility
for
child
care
into
the
ministry
of
education
this
year,
which
will
manage
child
care
programs
through
new
regional
offices.
This
new
regional
approach
will
allow
your
government
to
better
understand
local
needs,
as
it
continues
to
build
more
spaces
for
families
over
time.
This
will
bring
certainty
and
reliability
to
child
care.
A
The
same
way
that
parents
feel
knowing
that
they
have
a
public
school
to
send
their
children
to
your
government
has
also
worked
hard
to
tackle
rising
housing
prices
and
help
people
find
safe,
affordable
homes,
it
banned
renovations
and
cracked
down
on
speculation.
It
froze
rent
increases
during
the
pandemic
and
capped
them
to
inflation.
A
A
It
is
making
more
low-cost
financing
available
to
encourage
building
homes
that
middle-class
families
can
afford.
It
is
making
the
largest
investment
in
affordable
housing
in
bc's
history,
with
32
000
homes
built
or
on
the
way.
Already
in
the
year
ahead.
The
province
will
work
with
local
governments
to
speed
up
approvals
and
seek
new
tools
to
curb
speculation,
moving
more
underutilized
units
into
the
market,
and
this
spring
it
will
introduce
a
cooling
off
period
on
home
purchases
to
protect
people
when
they
are
buying
a
home,
especially
in
a
volatile
market
for
british
columbians.
A
A
Our
province's
landscape
is
a
source
of
beauty,
food
and
economic
opportunities,
but
the
things
we
cherish
most
are
at
risk
like
never
before
the
climate
emergency
is
here.
If
there
was
ever
any
doubt,
the
extreme
weather
events
of
this
summer
and
fall
should
have
erased
them
for
good.
The
impacts
are
all
around
us.
People
in
litten
lost
their
homes
and
community
to
wildfires
farmers
on
the
sumas,
prairie
lost
crops
and
livestock
to
the
flooding
and
people
in
every
part
of
bc
lost
their
lives
to
last
summer's
heat
from
the
scale
of
the
climate
crisis.
A
A
It
is
providing
supports
to
people
who
have
been
evacuated
from
their
homes,
including
temporary
housing,
food
and
clothing,
and
helping
repair
highways
working
with
the
federal
government.
Bc's
government
has
developed
the
largest
financial
recovery
package
ever
to
help
farmers
who
have
suffered
losses
due
to
flooding,
return,
land
to
production
and
support
british
columbia's
food
security
in
the
years
ahead.
A
A
A
Work
will
also
continue
on
the
broadway
subway
extension
replacements
for
the
massey
tunnel
tunnel
and
patella
bridge,
as
well
as
the
fourth
and
final
phase
of
the
kicking
horse
canyon.
Taken
together.
These
projects
will
create
thousands
of
jobs,
reduce
carbon
pollution
and
cut
commute
times,
so
families
spend
less
time
in
traffic
and
more
time
together.
A
Three
years
ago,
your
government
introduced
clean
bc
an
internationally
recognized
climate
plan
that
is
one
of
the
strongest
in
north
america.
In
that
time,
bc
has
set
sectoral
emission
targets
for
the
biggest
polluters.
While
we
work
with
industry
to
protect
jobs
and
competitiveness,
we
have
legislate,
legislated
strong
climate
targets
to
reduce
pollution
and
increase
accountability.
A
Last
fall.
Your
government
took
the
next
step
by
launching
clean
bc
roadmap
to
2030..
It
is
a
plan
that
builds
on
the
progress
we
have
made
with
new
measures
to
keep
us
on
track
to
meeting
our
paris
targets
in
2030
and
reaching
net
zero
by
2050.
critically.
It
will
encourage
innovation
of
clean
alternatives
by
making
them
more
available
and
affordable
to
british
columbians.
A
A
A
Deferrals
will
prevent
irreversible
biodiversity
loss,
while
a
new
approach
to
sustainable
forest
management
that
prioritizes
ecosystem
health
and
increased
community
control
is
developed.
Progress
is
already
being
made.
Just
last
month,
nanwakalas
council
and
western
forest
products
worked
together
to
defer
the
harvest
of
thousands
of
hectares
of
old
growth
on
vancouver
island.
A
A
Forestry
is
and
will
remain,
a
foundation
of
bc's
economy.
Your
government
wants
to
ensure
it
is
sustainable
for
the
long
term.
Recent
legislative
changes
will
increase
opportunities
for
first
nations
and
ensure
more
benefits
are
felt
by
local
communities,
while
promoting
greater
value-added
manufacturing
like
mass
timber
in
the
year
ahead.
A
A
A
The
port
of
vancouver
is
canada's
largest
and
a
planned
expansion
in
prince
rupert
could
make
it
the
country's
second
busiest
this
year
and
we
have
a
government
that
is
helping
people
succeed
in
an
economy
where
business
is
increasingly
conducted.
Online
record
funding
has
connected
thousands
of
people
to
better
high-speed
internet
in
hundreds
of
rural,
remote
and
indigenous
communities
throughout
british
columbia.
A
A
A
A
These
twin
goals
will
guide
your
government's
plan
to
foster
the
high-skill
low-carbon
economy
of
tomorrow.
The
recently
released
labor
market
outlook
estimates.
Oh
sorry,
estimates
bc
will
have
more
than
1
million
job
openings
in
the
next
10
years.
Almost
80
percent
of
these
will
require
a
post-secondary
education
or
training.
A
This
is
both
a
challenge
and
an
opportunity,
even
after
accounting
for
young
people
entering
the
labor
market
and
immigration
bc
still
faces
a
skills
gap
large
enough
to
slow
down
our
strong
economy.
If
that
challenge
is
not
met,
while
your
government
has
taken
action
to
address
the
challenge
by
creating
thousands
of
new
post-secondary
spaces
and
reducing
barriers
to
education,
more
must
be
done.
A
A
A
A
New
investments
will
be
coming
to
make
child
care
more
available
and
affordable
to
get
more
people
connected
to
high-speed
internet,
to
train
people
for
the
jobs
of
tomorrow
and
to
help
us
better
fight
climate
change.
While
we
protect
communities
from
climate-related
disasters,
your
government
knows
that
we
can't
cut
our
way
to
a
better
future.
Building.
A
strong
economy
is
not
about
pulling
back.
It
is
about
leading
in
to
make
life
better
for
people.